Why Do Players Have to Wear All White at Wimbledon?

Madison Williams | Jul 15, 2024

Jul 7, 2024; London,United Kingdom; Carlos Alcaraz of Spain reacts to a point during his match against Ugo Humbert of France (not shown) on day seven of The Championships at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. / Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports

There are many things considered traditions at Wimbledon, ranging from strawberries and cream to all-white tennis uniforms.

The tournament has been held at the All England Lawn Tennis Club since 1877, with some of the rules established nearly 150 years ago still being followed today. The biggest tradition still seen at Wimbledon each year is the tennis players wearing all-white outfits.

The players sport white from head to toe, literally, from their hats and headbands to wristbands to their shoes. Any major traces of color are seen as breaking the rule, and some players have faced scrutiny in the past for wearing more colors.

Why Do Players Have to Wear All White at Wimbledon?

Shortly after the tournament began in 1877, the organizers decided to establish a dress code. At the time in Victorian England, sweat stains were seen as improper and unacceptable, and white would mask the stains the best out of every colored clothing.

Once the rule was drawn up, Wimbledon has decided to keep the all-white dress code a tradition throughout the years.

There is a whole tab on Wimbledon's website detailing the rules for players when wearing all white. One recent addition to the rule is that women can now wear solid, mid/dark-colored undershorts under white skirts as long as they aren't longer than the skirt. Take a look at the specific rules, which includes players not being able to wear off-white or cream.

Controversial Outfits at Wimbledon

There's been a few times in recent Wimbledon history in which a player has bended the rules when it comes to sporting all white.

Roger Federer is considered by most tennis fans as the "King of Grass" because of his eight Wimbledon titles, but he was also involved in a dress code scandal back in 2013. He wore white shoes, but the soles were bright orange. The tournament required him to replace the shoes for his next round that year.

Serena Williams caused an uproar in 2010 when she sported red shorts under her white tennis dress in order to pay homage to the tournament's famous strawberries and cream. At the time, the colored undershorts rule was not established.

Although Andre Agassi didn't play in a controversial outfit, he famously boycotted Wimbledon from 1988–90 specifically because of the dress code. He was known for wearing bright colors during his career. He then won his first and only Wimbledon title in 1992.